The Irresponsibility of the Mining and Geological Bureau

The manner by which the Mining and Geological Bureau , which is the office designated by law to issue out mining permits in the Philippines, issues out their permit to any applicant for mining in the Philippines, is one for the record books. While this country is a signatory to the international campaign against global warming, it is ludicrous to think that the MGB would wantonly give out a mining permit to the Rigid Aggregates Mining Corporation to mine within the Proposed Ayala Watershed of the city of Zamboanga, considering that the area has already been identified as a watershed area under a co-management agreement between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the City Government of Zamboanga. with no less than the Ambassador of the United States, Kristie Kinney as key witness to the signing of this agreement.

The MGB being a suboffice of the DENR cannot claim it does not know of this agreement, when they gave a permit to the RAMC, considering that they were aptly represented during the signing of the agreement... What is more, is that the Nipas law, strictly prohibits mining in critical sloped areas of the country, and any geologist worth his license will tell you that the Ayala Mountain ranges is a 90 degree sloped area adjacent to the Dumalon river, which is the main source of water for the different sardine canning industries of the city of Zamboanga.

It is strange that the MGB, in presenting the application to the city council for an exploration permit for the RAMC did not present the geological studies conducted by PHILVOLCS identifying the mountain ranges of Ayala as critical to landslides and erosion, considering that it is directly in the path of the Zamboanga fault, making it prone to earthquakes.

The deliberate ommission of this critical finding , which was already available as early as the year 2004, makes it criminal on the part of MGB officials, who are mandated under the law to conduct a thorough study before they grant any permit for a mining application to the area in question.

The ayala watershed present acts as the buffer zone for the Pasonanca Forest Reserve, a declared national wildlife reserve and watershed for the city of Zamboanga. We call on all ecological groups to act on this rape of our remaining forest reserve for the sake of the s elfish profit of a mining company and the pocket of corrupt polititicians in the city of Zamboanga, who look at this as an opportunity to line their wallet as capaing kitty for the next election.